Air and Water Pollution - Quiz 4

Per and Poly Fluro Alkyl Substances (PFAS)

long chain

• 8+ Carbon backbone

  • surrounded by fluorines

up to 16k varieties

short chain

• > 8 Carbons

  • “gen x”

Perfluorooctane Sulfonate (PFOS)

*type of PFAS; well known

scotchguard key ingredient

40+ years on market

“gives new definition to persistence”

binds to proteins, not fats

Perfluorooctanoic Acid (PFOA)

*type of PFAS; well known

teflon

solvent for polymerization reactions

sold to dupont

PFAS Health Effects

exposure associated with

• cancer, birth defects (decreased weight), increased cholesterol levels

US EPA drinking water guidelines

• PFOS - 0.02 ppt

• PFOA - 0.004 ppt

*babies can have up to 10x more PFAS in blood than mother

PPM/PPB/PPT

m

• credit card in middle of football field

b

• 1 drop of gasoline tanker truck

t

• one drop in Olympic swimming pool

PFAS is Global

PFOA/PFOS levels in rainwater

• often greatly exceed EPA advisory levels

poorly reversible

• due to high persistence of PFAS/their ability to continuously cycle in hydrosphere

Freshwater Fish and PFAS

freshwater fish are significant source of PFAS exposure

1 fish serving = drinking water for a month at 48 ppt PFOS

*freshwater fish approximately 100x more contaminated than ocean fish

PFAS Replacements

perfluorobutane sulfonic acid and its potassium salt (PFBs)

• considered replacement for PFOS

• 2000 ppt lifetime drinking water guideline

hexafluoropropylene oxide (HFPO) dimer acid and its ammonium salt (“GenX chemicals”)

• considered replacement for PFOA

• 10 ppt lifetime drinking water guideline

3M and its “Forever Chemical”

will phase out their forever chemical by 2025

• will stop manufacturing/discontinue use of per and poly fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) by end of 2025

Methyl TertButyl Ether (MTBE)

an oxygenate

• added to gasoline

• to help meet CAA regulations

a groundwater contaminant

• from leaky USTs

hydrophilic

• non lypo; doesnt bind with soil

Code of Federal Regulations (CFR)

codification of general and permanent rules

• published in Federal Register by exec departments/fed agencies

• divided into 50 titles

  • title 40 = protection of environment

    • doesnt include nuclear

Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA)

ongoing hazardous waste generation

FCRT

• flammable, corrosivity, reactivity, toxicity

• hazardous classifications

*right now

Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA)

superfund

• orphaned sites

• tax on petroleum/chem industry

  • expired in 1995

• sites are characterized via HRS and listed on NPS if > 28.5

Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act (SARA)

• release of hazardous materials must be reported

• must self monitor

• increased power of CERCLA

Superfund is Born

President Carter approved emergency financial aid for Love Canal

• first emergency funds ever to be approved for something other than a natural disaster

US Senate approved “sense of Congress”

• amendment saying that federal aid should be forthcoming to relieve the serious environmental disaster which had occurred

  • led to establishment of CERCLA

Cuyahoga River

caught fire at least a dozen times

1969 fire

• directly led to establishment of EPA

2018

• PCB levels remain dangerously high

Hazard Ranking System (HRS)

considers

• toxicant

• concentration

• area

• people

  • how many? children?

  • pathways to people

• exposure

  • pathway

• risk characterization

  • exposure x toxicity

Superfund v Brownfield Sites

superfund

• inactive hazardous substance sites

brownfield

• actual or percieved environmental conditions

• not superfund

• could be low level contamination

Clean Up Phases

phase 1

• imminent substantial threat (time critical)

phase 2

• not as critical; same actions performed as in phase 1, just in different time manner

Chattanooga Creek

TN Products

• dumped coal tar in creek

placed on NPL in 1995

• contaminated groundwater, soil, sediment, surface water

phase 1 in 1998

• imminent substantial threat (time critical)

phase 2 from 2005 - 2007

removed from NPL in 2018

Light Non Aqeous Phase Liquid (LNAPL)

Dense “ “ (DNAPL)

seperated in Fractionation Tank (frac tank)

Partially Responsible Party (PRP)

all responsible parties required to pay for portion of damages

in terms of Chat Creek

• TN Products

• Chatt Coke and Chemical

• Riley Tar

• Southern Wood Piedmont

Air Monitoring

in Hamilton County

• measure for pm 2.5/10 and ozone (o3)

  • due to biogenic emissions

  • try to reduce NOx due to naturally occurring VOCs

part of EPA region 4 (southeast)

air pollution caused by all combustion processes

• except nuclear

40 CFR, parts 50, 58

Hazardous Air Pollutants (HAPs)

benzene

mercury

methylene chlorde

*188+

regulated (if at all) by

• permit conditions

monitored by

• visual prowess via training

Criteria Air Pollutants (CAPs)

regulated by National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS)

Attainment/Non

3 year history of meeting standards

3 year history of NOT meeting standards

Current Attainment Status

ozone

• 70 ppb

pm2.5

• 12 ug/m3

State Implementation Plan (SIP)

example: vehicle emissions testing program ended

Air Pollution levels based on…

designation areas

*being a tristate area is problematic